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Maryland Terrapins
The University of Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team has historically been one of the most successful college basketball programs in the country, and since hiring Coach Gary Williams before the 1989-1990 season the Terrapins have accomplished even greater success. Since the hiring of Williams, the Terrapins have gone to fourteen NCAA Tournaments, including eleven straight from 1994-2004, highlighted by the school's first Final Four appearance in 2001, and its first National Championship in 2002. The Terrapins also played in what many consider to be the greatest Atlantic Coast Conference game in history — and one of the greatest college basketball games ever — the championship of the 1974 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament, won 103-100 in overtime by eventual national champion North Carolina State. The game was instrumental in forcing the expansion of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, thus allowing for at-large bids and the inclusion of more than one team per conference. That Maryland team, with six future NBA draft picks, is considered by many to be the greatest team not to participate in the NCAA tournament.Bill Free - This Overtime Lasts 25 Years The 1974 team left it all out on the floor. Baltimore Sun, hosted at University of Maryland Terrapins athletic site, February 20, 1999 History Men's basketball has been played at University of Maryland, College Park every year since the 1923-1924 season. Before the 1923 season, games were played sporadically during the 1904-1905, 1910-1911, 1913-1914, and the 1918-1919 seasons. In the 1970's, Lefty Driesell was credited with starting Midnight Madness. In 2002, Maryland won the 2002 NCAA basketball tournament. Coaching staff Facilities The Terps' basketball teams have played at the 17,950 seat Comcast Center or "The House Gary Built", in College Park since it opened in 2002. Prior to 2002 the Terps spent 47 seasons from 1955 to 2002 at Cole Field House. When college basketball was achieving its most explosive growth - from the late 1950’s to the late 1970’s – there was one college gymnasium on the East Coast that sat as many as 12,000 fans. Cole Field House epitomized the new big-time, main event status of college hoops, the sport of network TV and emerging legends. There was not a bad seat when it opened, and throughout its life there was not a better place to watch a game. It was a building where history was routinely made, and fans could feel the echo of tradition and experience the electricity of top-flight college basketball. Additional seats were installed throughout the years to bring the final capacity to 14,596 (in 1993). Cole Field House held its first East Regional finals in 1962, when NYU defeated St. John's in the final, 94–85. The Final Four was first held here in 1966 between Duke, Kentucky, Texas Western (now UTEP), and Utah. Texas Western (which started all black players) upset Kentucky's all white team 72–65 in front of a crowd of 14,253. Future Maryland men's basketball coach Gary Williams, then a student, attended the game. Cole also hosted the Final Four in 1970. Before 1955, Maryland basketball games took place in Ritchie Coliseum, a small arena on campus (1932-55), and before that in a small gymnasium on campus simply called "The Gymnasium". Historical statistics *1988 tournament records vacated by NCAA due to use of ineligible player National honors http://www.sportsstats.com/bball/national/awards/All-American http://www.sportsstats.com/bball/awards/All-ACC http://www.apbr.org/ncaa-aa.html Season-by-season results Honored jerseys NBA Draft picks References External links * Official site * Official athletics site Category:NCAA Division I schools Category:Schools in Maryland Category:Big Ten Conference members